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Erie Planning Commission approves 13 new fracking wells

By Alex Burness, Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
07/16/2014 10:14:20 PM MDT

Updated:
07/17/2014 07:44:08 AM MDT

Steve Nelson walks his dog Kirby next to a fracked gas well in the open space near his home in Erie's Vista Ridge neighborhood in June. Thirteen new fracking wells are proposed to be drilled in the open space north of the neighborhood, (David R. Jennings / Daily Camera)

ERIE — Oil and gas company Encana has taken another step toward securing approval for 13 new hydraulic fracturing wells near a dense residential section of Erie, but affected residents and town officials pressed the company to communicate their plans more clearly going forward.

Erie's Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday night to approve Encana's plan and send it to the town's Board of Trustees, which will meet Aug. 12 to either OK or reject the project once and for all.

At issue are two fracking sites, one with six wells and another with seven, that are on track for installation in a large field adjacent the Vista Pointe and Vista Ridge subdivisions and just west of the Front Range Landfill.

The 13 sites have been in the works for nearly two years now, as the town of Erie entered into a memorandum of understanding with Encana in August 2012. Since then, Encana has seemingly followed all state and local guidelines, secured the blessing of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and, as of Wednesday, positioned itself one step away from final approval.

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Encana coasted, more or less, through the first 20 months since the original memorandum of understanding. But the neighbors who stand to be most affected by the 13 sites have come out in force since June, when word began to spread that their families could soon live alongside a fracking site.

"It's going to be loud, it's going to be noisy, it's going to be obnoxious," said James Strouss, who recently moved to Vista Ridge from Colorado's western slope. Everything (Encana) says is always a best-case scenario. Mother Nature is going to have something to say about it.

"You guys need to decide what this community is going to be. You've got to decide whether we're a suburban area or an industrial area."

Strouss' concerns for the town's future were echoed by some of the roughly dozen people who spoke Wednesday evening. But the most common complaint surrounds Encana's claim that it's gone above and beyond to reach out to residents that would be affected by the 13 sites.

In February, Encana held a public meeting to answer questions about the project, but no one attended. Some said they didn't get the notice because they hadn't moved in yet. Others just said they were never told at all.

"So many things get lost in a lack of communication," commissioner Ari Harrison said. "Whether they were notified or not, whether you say they were or not, if they weren't living there, they obviously weren't notified. To me, you're doing just enough to get what you need ... ."

Encana spokeswoman Wendy Weidenbeck said the company never intended to conceal anything and wants to do everything possible to be viewed as a more positive player in town.

"There's this fear and appearance of secrecy. We don't want to hide anything, and frankly, we have nothing to hide," she said. "Are we having an impact on your community from a negative perspective? I think it would be silly to say we don't have an impact. We absolutely do. But we try really hard to have a balance."

As evidence to that balance, Weidenbeck pointed to, among other things, donations the company has made to local schools, as well as the jobs this project could create for Erie residents.

Perhaps most significant, Encana has said that if the 13 wells are approved, it will build a hub facility at the corner of Weld County roads 6 and 7 — roughly 1.5 miles from the Pratt site — to which oil from the 13 wells could be funneled underground.

The idea behind the hub, which Weidenbeck said would cost in the tens of millions, is to minimize light, noise and traffic disturbances in residential areas.

With a hub, Encana estimates, the actual pad sites near Vista Ridge and Vista Pointe would be 70 percent smaller.

"We contribute to your schools. We continue to contribute to your community," Weidenbeck said. "We never want people to be surprised. But we clearly need to do a better job."

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